Tales of Kenzera: Zau – A Narrative Platformer by Surgent Studios“>Surgent Studios: When Your Game Goes on Hiatus, But Life Goes On!
So, Surgent Studios, the gaming house that promised us the next big hit in video gaming, has just hit the brakes harder than a teenager whose driving instructor said, “Just one more lesson, please.” They’ve decided to put their entire games division on hiatus. You know things are dire when your studio sounds like it’s taking a mid-life crisis break—it’s like they’ve decided to trade in their controller for a yoga mat!
The radio silence on funding is just deafening, isn’t it? It’s like waiting for a sequel to your favorite comedy, only to discover they’ve decided to shoot it in the Sahara sans budget! They shared their deep financial struggles via a social media statement, which, as we all know, is the 21st-century equivalent of a cry for help. It’s basically their way of saying, “We might have to cut down on staff, but we still believe in positive affirmations!”
In a twist reminiscent of a classic sitcom plot, Surgent Studios, which originally debuted as Silver Rain Studios, was co-founded by Abubakar Salim, an actor you might recognize from *Assassin’s Creed Origins* and *House of the Dragon*. Talk about multi-talented! However, launching a game is like stepping into a classic Rowan Atkinson skit—lots of potential for hilarious outcomes but a staggering chance of ending up face first in a pile of work! Their debut title, Tales of Kenzera: Zau, got decent reviews, but it appears the commercial success was about as elusive as a polite online comment section.
Now, I’m not saying the economy is rough, but I once tried to play Tales of Kenzera and my console immediately spat it back out like it was recovering from a hangover. Despite being backstopped by the colossal Electronic Arts under the EA Originals label, it seems that even the best sponsorship couldn’t save them from a tragi-comic twist of fate. They’ve previously laid off “just over a dozen people” a mere three months after their game hit the shelves. And we thought workplace comedy was relegated to the sitcom world—turns out, it’s just as real in game development!
In their recent statement, Surgent Studios promised it’s hunting for a partner to rescue their project – which sounds a bit like a dating app for game developers. “Swipe right if you want to save a struggling studio!” Meanwhile, they’re tantalizing us with hints of “a couple of exciting updates” for Zau. Well, let’s hope those updates aren’t just a new color for the title screen; that’d be wildly underwhelming, like finding out your long-lost uncle really just wants to borrow money!
So what’s next for Surgent Studios? Are they going to morph into a hybrid studio producing films and video games like some bizarre crossover episode? “Stay tuned for the next thrilling season of *Tales of Kenzera*, now with 200% more drama and absolutely 0% funding!” Whatever their next move is, let’s hope they can reboot their fortunes as well as they reboot a classic video game.
Until then, let’s raise a virtual glass to Surgent Studios. Remember, folks, in the world of gaming, as in comedy, timing is everything—and right now, it seems their timing might just need a good rewriting.
